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That Jesus Christ lived in the reign of Tiberius Cæsar and suffered death under the Romar governor Pontius Pilate, is acknowledged that he appointed during his life a set of men, who had been with him, during his ministry, to publish and propagate throughout the world, to Jew and Gentile, the doctrines he had taught the miracles he had performed; and the predictions he had declared, as consequences of his death and resurrection, is scarcely doubted; he plainly and explicitly foretold to them, the success they should meet with in executing their commission, and the state of the Jewish and Christian churches till his second coming in glory, which he assured them should take place these are all facts too notorious at this day to require proof.

That this same Jesus Christ did also, during his life, promise to his followers, that after his death and resurrection, he would send his holy spirit into the hearts of his disciples and followers; whereby they would be enabled to remember whatever he had told them while with them in the flesh; and by whom they should receive the further knowledge of those things, which they were not then prepared to bear, is also recorded by these same apostles. Now the event has happened, as it was foretold, in full confirmation of the truth. That this promise was fulfilled in the presence of thousands of witnesses of all nations, providentially assembled at Jerusalem at the feast of Pentecost, for the purpose of public worship, is not only recorded by them as historians, but the after success of the preached Gospel, in all the neighbouring nations, and the miraculous powers and knowledge of so many different languages, remaining in the a

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postles, and many of the first converts to Christianity for more than one hundred years, were evident demonstrations of the truth of the event. By this means churches were founded in the most famous cities then in the world, and men of all ranks, stations and characters, were brought by the force of these facts, to acknowledge the faith as it was in JeSo public and notorious was the descent of the spirit on the Apostles, that three thousand souls were added to the church in one day. This happened immediately after the event took place; and many of them must have had a previous knowledge of the facts published by the Apostles; and their belief, at that time, is a strong confirmation of the veracity of those facts. The descent of the spirit, must have been early contradicted, if it had not been founded in truth, as so many witnesses were appealed to; but even the high priest himself, was forced to acknowledge, " that unless they did something, all men would believe on him."

It ought not to be omitted here, that the whole plan of the Gospel, as delivered by these historians, is far superior to the natural abilities, of men so ignorant and unlettered, as were the planners and preachers of it-at the same time, they boldly declare, that every real professor shall experience in himself such powerful effects from a conformity to its doctrines and precepts, as that they should become un. controvertible evidence to him, that God is their author. This has been verified in the lives and conduct of thousands, and thousands in every age of the church.

These historians have given us the account of the birth of their Lord and master, not only as they received it from Joseph and Mary, but as they had it from him in his life time, as well as from the influence and direction of the holy spirit, with which they were so openly and publicly filled, in presence of so many witnesses. Besides it is acknowledged, that the morality they inculcate, is of the most pure and benevolent kind: and that to mislead their adherents and followers, by publishing untruths to ruin and deceive them, would have been contrary to every principle of morality and benevolence.

If you look through their whole history, every part of it bears the mark of truth and credibility. They urge in all their teachings, the strictest attention to truth, and threaten the severest displeasure of Almighty God against falsehood, dissimulation and hypocrisy.

While they declare in plain but sublime language, the dignity and glory of their master's real character, they do not attempt to cover his actual state of humility, in not even having a place to lay his head. And though they claim for themselves the rank of ambassadors of the Son of God, and the representatives of a King and Sovereign, they fail not to record their own shameful misconduct, and the many mistakes and failures they had been guilty of, during their misapprehension of his true character; having been deceived: with the rest of their nation, in looking to their Messiah as a temporal Prince and Saviour.

Add to this, that most of the great leading facts they relate, are confirmed by prophane historians of

good character, though known enemies to the Christian name; and then let it be asked, who can point out even equal human authority for any ancient history, with which the world is acquainted.

The universal expectation of the Messiah, or some divine person, about this time, is a fact generally acknowledged. Nebuchadnezzar, in his time, speaks of one of the persons who appeared in the fiery furnace, being like unto the Son of God; and Haggai* the prophet, expressly says, that he, i. e. the Messiah, was to be the desire of all nations. If so, mankind must have had tradition from the ancient patriarchs of the character of the expected Saviour. Suetonius refers to this expectation in his life of Vespasian, as has been already mentioned. Virgil's Pollio is an unanswerable argument in favour of the same event. The sacred books of the Jews foretold it, with the time and many circumstances preparatory to and attending it; and they were well known to the then learned world, and for a long time before, as has been shewn. The conduct of the wise men prove it.

There were three celebrated universities of the Jews in the provinces of Babylon, viz. NarbardiaPompedithe and Seria, besides several other places famous for learning.† The Jews relate that the ten tribes were carried away not only into Media and Persia, but into the Northern countries, beyond the Bosphorus. Ortelius finds them in Tartary. || In Egypt the Jews had a temple, like that of Jerusalem,

* Haggai, ii. 7.

† Buxtorf, Tib. Cæs. 6. Lightfoot's Harmony, N. T. 335, Reasons of Christianity 85.

Hier in Zech. x. Reasons of Christianity, 85.

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built by Onias and continued for the space of 343 years, till the reduction of Jerusalem by Titus. The Jews at that time, says the Talmud, were double the number in Egypt, of those who left it under Moses, that is, six millions.*

The reign of Augustus and the government of Pilate are established facts. Dion in his life of Octavius Cæsar, mentions the murder of the Babes of Bethlehem; and Macrobius, another historian of early date and a heathen, says that "Herod the king ordered to be slain in Syria, (by which the Romans often meant Judea) some children that were under two years old. Among whom he included his own son, which made Augustus pleasantly say, it was bet ter to be Herods hog, than his son."†

The appearance of a wonderful star at the time of Christ's nativity is mentioned by Pliny‡ in his natural history, under the name of a bright comet.||

Celsus, Julian and Porphyry, all mortal enemies to the religion of Jesus, acknowledge the miracles and doctrines of Christ, at the same time that they ascribe them to the power of magic. It is a great complaint of Porphyry (a famous heathen Philosopher of

* Josephus Antiq.

† Matrob. Saturnal. Lib. 2. c. 4. folio, 279, cited by Cave, 1 vol. Introduction 2.

‡ Lib. 2. c. 25.

Huetius says, Scribit Plinius, exortum fuisse aliquando cometam, candidum, argentes crine ita fulgentem, ut vix contueri possit quisquam, specieque humana Dei effigiem in se ostendentem. Quest. alnet. lib. 2. ch. 16.

The same author in his demonstration, proposition 3d, says, "that a new star or body of light seen by the wise men, is acknowledged by Julian, though he ascribes it to natural causes." And it is set off with great eloquence by Chalcidius, in his comment upon Plato's Timæus. Hamm. Annot. in Matth. 2. ch. 2.

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